5 Moments From A3C Festival Thursday

A3C is one of the premiere festivals in Atlanta featuring over 500 performances from some of hip-hop's most promising and respected artists from all over. XXL is on the ground to give day-to-day recaps of what's going down during their 10-year celebration.

Photography By: Antone Booker

After opening the 10th anniversary celebration Wednesday with workshops and showcases, A3C exhibited even more appreciation for their Atlanta based artists throughout all of yesterday’s (Oct. 10) high-energy performances. From the “Welcome to Atlanta Party,” mixer to performances from some of A-town’s most elite, Thursday’s lineup throughout A3C has us all on the edge of what else is to come during the forthcoming weekend. Here are our five favorite moments from A3C Festival Thursday.—Asia Burris

Hustlepalooza

Brought to life by brand marketing and music activist Hustle Simmons, Hustlepalooza brought together an assortment of artistic talent all under one roof. From Detroit’s Earlly Mac, Chicago’s NeX 2 KiN, to the DMV’s Chaz French, The Armory’s stage continually captured my attention with the sounds of some of today’s emerging artists to keep on the radar.

Father Opens Up A Pop-Up Shop

Awful Records’ Father may be a rapper, but is also vastly in tune with the fashion scene. In collaboration with Vandal Collective, the DIY Atlanta-based crew of five opened up shop on Edgewood for shopping and a live performance from Father, Key!, and iLoveMakonnen as they turned things up a notch with “Look At Wrist.” If you’ve ever seen either of the three perform solo, then you know that collecting them together onto one stage results in nothing less than vibes, especially in their hometown.

The Circuit

After traveling to nine cities across the country in search for the best local artists, A3C’s Circuit Tour held a showcase at the 3rd Street Armory Front for all of the “best in show” acts nationally. Performances included New York’s exuberant, yet vigorous lyricist L. atasha A. lcindor as she held things down with her bubbling wordplay and the DMV’s Laelo alongside his emerging artist Nique Goldi. But, this showcase wouldn’t have closed out properly without a very rare performance from The LOX. As they went through a number of their renowned anthems, Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch brought us all back to the mighty, mighty D-Block days.

PUMA Showcase

PUMA sponsored possibly one of the most anticipated events of the A3C week. Young, booming stars Casey Veggies, Dyme-A-Duzin, Rockie Fresh, and Vic Mensa all hold different artistic sounds in the realm of hip-hop, but their passion for the culture remains the same. Held at The Basement, the show was full of Fresh Veggies vibes and Vic Mensa’s signature eclectic sound.

Street Execs

What better way to close out the evening then with one of the major kings of the South? With opening sets from street spitters Cap-1, Greazy, Young Dolph, Rich Kidz, and more, 2 Chainz fell back into his roots as he ranted about his past mixtape life and chose to go by his forename of Tity Boi. While spinning deep-rooted tunes from Trap-A-Velli and Trap-A-Velli 2, we were also able to hear some new jams from the ATL native. Nonetheless, the club was jumping, the crowd raged, and the second night of A3C closed out with a bang.

Previously: Bun B Will Host A Tribute To Pimp C At A3C Festival
2 Chainz, Black Thought, The LOX And More Will Perform At A3C Festival